U.S. patent number 4,091,551 [Application Number 05/736,381] was granted by the patent office on 1978-05-30 for extra capacity steam iron.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Robert L. Schaeffer.
United States Patent |
4,091,551 |
Schaeffer |
May 30, 1978 |
Extra capacity steam iron
Abstract
The invention is directed to an extra capacity steam iron with a
soleplate having steam ports and heating means and separate forward
main, and rear surge, steam generators with conventional means for
selective delivery of water to the generators and having a heat
regulating thermostat. The improvement to this structure comprises
a walled enclosure on the soleplate defining the surge generator in
the rear half of the iron and tortuous passages lead from the
enclosure to the soleplate ports. A boss is provided upstanding
from the soleplate spacedly disposed in the enclosure and a
coverplate defines steam distributing passages from the main
generator and, with the enclosure and the passages, separate
distributing passages from the surge generator. The upstanding boss
is in the form of a pyramid with plural slanted striated surfaces
sloping toward the soleplate, the striations being in the form of
parallel grooves directed down the surfaces to spread and direct
water into the enclosure. The water delivery means dumps water
substantially centrally of the boss so that the boss forms a heat
sink and a water spreader throughout the walled enclosure for
efficient and rapid heat transfer to form extra capacity steam.
Inventors: |
Schaeffer; Robert L. (LeRoy,
NY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Bridgeport, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
24959653 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/736,381 |
Filed: |
October 28, 1976 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
38/77.83 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F
75/18 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D06F
75/08 (20060101); D06F 75/18 (20060101); D06F
075/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;38/77.5,77.6,77.7,77.8,77.82,77.83,77.9 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lawson; Patrick D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cullen; John F. Powers; George R.
Platt; Leonard J.
Claims
I claim:
1. An extra capacity steam iron having a soleplate with steam ports
and heating means with separate forward, main, and rear surge steam
generators, means to selectively deliver water at the front and
rear to the respective isolated generators, and heat regulating
thermostat means, the improvement comprising:
a walled rear enclosure on the soleplate defining the separate
isolated surge generator;
tortuous passage means from said rear enclosure to the ports;
a boss integral with and upstanding from the soleplate spacedly
disposed in the enclosure;
a coverplate defining steam distributing means from the main
generator and, with said enclosure and passage means, defining
steam distributing means separately from said isolated surge
generator;
said boss having plural slanted surface means sloping toward the
soleplate;
said delivery means directing water substantially centrally of the
boss;
whereby the boss forms a heat sink and water spreader throughout
the enclosure for heat transfer to steam.
2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein plural tortuous
passage means is provided extending from said walled enclosure over
said heating means to each side of the soleplate.
3. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said slanted surface
means on said boss are striated to increase the heat transfer
surface area.
4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said boss is disposed
on the longitudinal centerline of the soleplate and is formed in
the shape of a pyramid.
5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein said pyramid has one
side abutting said enclosure, and
each slanted surface means includes parallel grooves thereon,
said grooves directed down the surfaces to the soleplate to spread
and direct water into the enclosure.
6. Apparatus as described in claim 5 wherein said pyramid boss is
disposed on the longitudinal centerline of the soleplate, and
plural tortuous passage means is provided extending from said
enclosure over said heating means to each side of the soleplate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein pertains to an extra capacity steam iron with
its surge boiler in the rear of the iron formed of a walled
enclosure with a pyramid-shaped upstanding boss in the enclosure
formed to provide a good heat sink and water spreader throughout
the enclosure for efficient heat transfer to steam.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Irons having provisions for extra capacity steam on demand are well
known. Generally, such irons employ spaced generators with the main
generator for the customary steam and a separate spaced generator
which, on demand, may receive a separate charge of water to create
a quick volume of steam for touch-up or difficult creases. In some,
the main flow and surge flow come together to pass through a
tortuous or conversion passage together and thence to the soleplate
ports as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,357; some use a consecutive flow
pattern as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,972; some provide confluent flows
as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,452, and some use completely separated
flows as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,793, of common assignment. All of
these prior arrangements have the surge generator substantially
centrally of or forward in the iron because all are designed for
the normal conventional size larger household irons. Recent
developments have produced lightweight, smaller, plastic irons, at
a lower price while retaining many of the standard features for
dry, steam, and surge operations and these smaller irons have
presented problems in applying the usual structure to obtain
saisfactory results. A typical iron of this general type is shown
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,282 of common assignment. This iron uses a
rear surge generator and has required a revision in design from the
usual larger irons simply because there is not enough room in this
small lightweight iron for the usual arrangement of parts to supply
the various features. Thus, the main object of the invention is to
provide an iron structure for an extra capacity steam iron having a
completely different formation of surge generator in order to
provide the water spreading characteristics and heat transfer
necessary for adequate surge capacity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partially broken away, illustrating
the general arrangement;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the soleplate of such iron; and
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the surge
generator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a small lightweight plastic
iron for steam and extra surge capacity having a soleplate 10 with
conventional steam ports, a one-piece molded plastic contoured
housing 12 formed with handle 14 and having conventional steam
button 16 and extra surge button 18. A separate plastic skirt 20
isolates housing 12 from the hot soleplate 10 and an internal water
tank 22 is part of the plastic housing and is filled through the
front of the iron at 24. A stabilizing bar 26 steadies the iron in
its heel rest position and may be used to wind the electrical cord
not shown.
Because of the arrangement of the iron, the conventional forward
handle-mounted thermostat or a saddle plate mounted control under
handle 14 is difficult because of complex linkage required and the
water tank 22 respectively. To overcome these difficulties, a side
thermostat button 27 is provided to set the desired iron
temperature in a compact arrangement. The avoidance of difficult
conventional linkage and use of a simple side thermostat control in
such a small iron is the subject of co-pending application Ser. No.
743,680 filed Nov. 22, 1976 of common assignment.
Referring to FIG. 2, the soleplate assembly is shown including
aluminum soleplate 10 with a heating means 28 that may form part of
the soleplate casting and comprises a continuous rod containing
magnesium oxide that loops around the iron generally coming to a
point at the nose and having terminal means 30 at the rear for
connection to an electric source as is well-known. Also forming
part of the soleplate casting is a series of ribs 32 suitably
formed for directing steam in a known manner out through soleplate
ports 34.
To provide normal steam from the iron, a forward main generator 36
receives water drops at the front as shown through valve assembly
37 when button 16 is in the up position all as shown and as is
well-known. The water dropping onto the hot soleplate 10 flashes
into steam and the resulting steam is directed by ribs 32 to exit
ports 34. For an extra surge of steam, there is provided a rear
surge generator 38 disposed in the rear half of the iron, so that,
if desired, water may be directed to it in the iron heel rest
position to provide steam in the vertical position. If vertical
surge is not desired, rear generator 38 is supplied with an extra
quantity of water directly into the generator at the rear as shown
to generate steam on demand, the steam following the arrows through
a tortuous passage around ribs 32 for extra surge from ports 34.
Cooperating with ribs 32 and soleplate 10, there is provided a
coverplate 40 which defines steam distributing means from both
generators 36 and 38. The coverplate 40 has an opening 42 through
which the usual water valve structure 37 dispenses water to main
generator 36 and the coverplate is sealed to ribs 32 to define the
steam distributing means from the generators. A suitable internal
pump 43 and water valve structure 37, both individually known in
the art, are connected respectively to buttons 16 and 18 to
selectively deliver water to the generators 36 and 38. Side
thermostat control 27 sets the desired temperature as disclosed in
said co-pending application.
Because of the rearrangement of parts in this small lightweight
plastic iron, a different surge generator is required in order to
adequately provide the heat necessary for the extra steam on demand
and this generator 38, is located in the rear half of the iron so
that it is usable in a vertical position if desired, as well as
disposing it there for efficient placement in the limited space
available to provide supplementary assistance to the normal flat
bottom type surge or extra capacity generators. To this end, a
particular type thermostat mount 44 is provided as disclosed in
said co-pending application Ser. No. 743,680. The rear surge
generator 38 does not take heat from the main generator 36 and is
desirably close to the thermostat on mount 44. For adequate surge
capacity, a walled rear enclosure 45 is disposed rearwardly on the
soleplate and defines the surge generator 38 to provide a separate
isolated generator. Providing heat sink capabilities and water
spreading, the boss 46 is preferably formed integral with and
upstanding from the soleplate 10 within the walled enclosure 45 and
generally spaced therefrom. For additional steam conversion, a pair
of tortuous passage means 48 extend from the enclosure over and
along the heating means 28 to the soleplate ports on each side of
the soleplate. The top of the various passages is enclosed by
coverplate 40 to define steam distributing means from main
generator 36 to the soleplate ports around the ribs 32 in the
customary manner, and the coverplate also covers rear walled
enclosure 45 and passages 48 separately from the surge generator 38
so that water directed into each of the generators is converted
into steam and follows separate passages to the ports 34. Because
of the smaller overall size of the iron and the limited space for
the usual components, the surge capacity is enhanced by the use of
boss 46 which provides a large heat sink for the water dropping
thereon. To increase the heat sink capacity, the boss is formed
generally in the shape of a pyramid, as seen in FIG. 3 with plural
slanted surface means 50 sloping toward the soleplate 10 so that
water dropped on the apex of the pyramid is spread and directed
throughout the enclosure 45 onto the hot soleplate 10. As seen in
FIG. 2, the boss 46 is disposed on the longitudinal centerline of
the soleplate so suitable pump 43 directs the water substantially
centrally of the apex of the boss as seen in FIG. 1. For better
heat transfer, each slanted surface of the pyramid boss 50 includes
striations in the form of parallel grooves 52 of any suitable
number with each groove being directed down the surface to the
soleplate to provide a larger area of heat transfer and to direct
all the water directly into the enclosure 45. To supply improved
reaction to thermostat 44, the pyramid boss 46 has its back side
abutting the back wall of the enclosure as seen in FIG. 3 providing
a large heat transfer surface directly into the abutting wall 45.
Any suitable number of grooves 52 may be used since any form of
striation will increase the heat transfer surface of the boss but
the preferred parallel groove form is effective. Thus, the
invention provides an arrangement that may be used in a small
lightweight plastic iron with the surge boiler in the rear so that
it does not affect normal steam generation but adequately provides
an extra surge of steam on demand. In this combination, the
enclosed pyramid-shaped mass of boss 46 improves the performance of
the surge of steam feature. The striated pyramid spreads and
disperses the water pumped in so that it is converted to steam more
quickly and efficiently. The grooved surfaces directed to the
soleplate provide a larger surface area and direct dispersion of
the water into the walled enclosure as it flows over the pyramid
surface. Thus, in addition to providing more heat, the additional
mass of the upstanding boss, the pyramid shape and striated surface
all accelerate the conversion of water into steam in a small
iron.
While I have hereinbefore shown a preferred form of the invention,
obvious equivalent variations are possible in light of the above
teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope
of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise
than as specifically described, and the claims are intended to
cover such equivalent variations.
* * * * *